Introduction

Introduction

Introduction

In Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, since 1993, more than 400 women have been killed, a conservative estimate due to the hundreds more that are still missing (Fernández et al., 2008). Many of these women were from low-income communities and were employed in the maquilas, tariff, and duty-free factories in the area (Cacho, 2020). Despite the hazardous conditions, harassment, and sexualization, maquilas remained a prominent profession for women after their rise in the 1980s. This research will explore the history of feminism and femicide in the city as well as the social and industrial norms concerning gender in the maquiladoras. The rise of the maquiladora industry and its relation to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is studied to answer the question: What is the relationship between the maquiladora industry and femicide in Ciudad Juarez?

This research is important because it exposes some of the pressing issues that surround the maquiladora industry. Mexican women die every day from gender violence and the people who are committing the crimes often do not receive punishment (Pantaleo, 2010). Women are losing their lives in their place of employment and many of these cases remain unsolved (Livingston, 2004). These women are often beaten until they are unrecognizable and their bodies are dumped, many of them near the maquilas they are employed in (Pantaleo, 2010). Many of them are also vulnerable targets since they are often lower-income immigrants who have families to raise or younger women in search of employment. These women are only living on a few dollars a day and rely on the maquilas for their income even if they consider some of the practices unethical (Funari, 2006).

This research will analyze past literature regarding the prevalence of femicide and unethical practices in the maquiladoras to exemplify the issue and find patterns in the larger discourse that indicate that employment in these zones exacerbates the rate of femicide in the city. By analyzing research on femicide and the link to the place of employment, the paper addresses the findings in the research that can explain the unfair treatment of women at their job and how this treatment can lead to their death. The history of feminism, femicide, gender norms, and economic process in export processing zones are analyzed and used to draw a connection between the maquiladora industry and femicide in Ciudad Juarez and the social impact the feminicides carry.

Introduction

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